Baseball Forces Deciding Game But Falls Short

The Buccaneers pushed the West Florida Argonauts to a deciding game, but fell short. Photo by Chris Nelson

PENSACOLA, Fla.—The Barry Buccaneers forced the deciding game by beating West Florida 3-1 at the 2011 NCAA Division II South Region Baseball Tournament on Monday at UWF’s Jim Spooner Field, but ran out of gas as the host Argonauts came back to win the final 7-4.

In the first game, Manny Rodriguez, pitching on three days’ rest for the first time all season, scattered nine hits and did not allow an earned run in his second complete game of the tournament. He struck out eight and walked one as the Bucs (40-17) won 3-1 to force the deciding game. He finished the season with 126 strikeouts, breaking the record of 121 set by current Bucs' pitching coach Alex Gonzalez in 2005.

Trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning, the Bucs scored three runs to take the lead. With one out, Dean Green was hit by a pitch and Lyndon Coleman followed with a walk off UWF starter Ben Hawkins, who also pitched on Thursday in the opening round. James Young doubled into the gap in right center, scoring Green and sending Coleman to third. After Zach Jadofsky relieved Hawkins and struckout Matt Petty for the second out, Chris Leon came through with a single to knock in both runners and a Barry lead.

Rodriguez made the runs stand up. In the eighth inning, he walked Brandon Brewer with one out. After striking out regional player of the year Greg Pron for the second out, Dustin Lawley drilled a double into the left field corner. But Brewer held up around second and had to stop at third. Rodriguez responded by striking out Josh Huggins to end the frame.

In the ninth, Leo Larmarche and Zach Taylor singled off Rodriguez to start the inning and moved up to second and third on a bunt by Tyler Hastings. But Rodriguez struck out Korey Dominick looking and got Taye Larry to bounce out to Julio Ramos at short to end the game.

The Argonauts (48-9) only run came in the first inning on a error. After Larry, Brewer and Pron singled to start the game, Lawley bounced one to James Young at third. Young’s throw home retired Larry, but Leon’s relay to first to try for Lawley went down the right field line, allowing Brewer to score. Rodriguez responded with a strikeout of Huggins and fly out from Lamarche to get out of the jam.

In the deciding game, the Bucs, playing in their fifth game in three days and seventh since Thursday, suffered some miscues that proved costly. In the second inning, Dwelly and Coleman could not get together on a pop fly in right-center off the bat of Lawley which dropped between them and was ruled a double. Huggins followed with a single up the middle to score Lawley, but Dwelly over ran the ball in center, allowing Huggins to move all the way around to third. He would score on a ground out.

In the fourth, Taylor drew a leadoff walk from Buccaneer starter Jordan Wellander. Hastings bounced a sharp ground ball to Young at third, but he lost the handle and everyone was safe. As the Bucs put the wheel play on, Dominick slashed a bunt through the hole vacated by the shortstop, bringing in Taylor. Hastings scored on a fly ball.

The Bucs tied the game up in the fifth, exploding for four runs off Argo starter Kevin Peters. Ramos and Ashley singled to lead off the frame and Dwelly reached on an error by Huggins, which allowed Ramos to score. Green followed with an RBI single through the right side to score Ashley. After UWF brought in Daniel Vargas-Vila, who got the win on Friday when the two team played, Coleman looped a single down the right field line to bring in Dwelly. Green scored on a double play to tie the game 4-4.

But the Agronauts came back with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh to take the win.

Vargas-Vila (14-1) again got the win, while closer Shane Waller, who walked the first batter he faced, set down the last eight Buccaneers in order for his 13th save. Tyler Petsch (0-2) was tagged with the loss for Barry.

The Buccaneers put four on the All-Tournament team, including catcher Leon, first baseman Green, starting pitcher Rodriguez and Young made the team at DH.